I can't live without you
by Max Tomos
Summary: Jade has lost someone she loved. Can she continue her life without that person?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The show "Victorious" and its characters are the property of Schnieder's Bakery and Nickelodeon. This story is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is wanted or expected for this story.**

 **This is my first fanfic. At first, I wasn't even planning to write this story. I was originally working on two other stories, one of them is a "what if" spin-off of 'The Real Me' by Quitting Time and the other is an original Victorious fanfic set in the Pirates of the Caribbean world. But then I had the small creativity crisis and decided to follow the advice of the great Sherlock Holmes 'A change of work is the best rest.' The result of that work is this story. Enjoy, and stay tuned for future stories.**

Here I am. Once again. Feeling lost. The irony of my thoughts doesn't escape me as I walk between hundreds of gravestones of Calvary Cemetery in LA. You know, when I thought about where I would like the two of us to lie in our eternal sleep, I hoped it would be Hollywood Forever Cemetery, because I'm sure you would like to be in the company of so many people from the entertainment industry. But your family, being mostly Catholic, wanted you to be buried here. I didn't object, because they are your family, and I was your girlfriend for only eight months. But those eight months meant to me more than an eternity spent with someone else.

The day is cloudy. The meteorologists say it would rain. I don't mind. I have lost the sun of my life, the only thing in this world that made me trully happy, and I have no need for the sun in the sky anymore.

I come here every Sunday to light the candles and bring fresh flowers. Most people would say that life goes on, that time heals all wounds. But not for me, not for Jade West. My heart and my mind are still stuck one year in the past, in that terrible moment when I heard the news about the accident. The day when I fainted for the first time in my life, right in the middle of the Asphalt Café.

I woke up in the hospital a few hours later. Beck was sitting near my bed, but his face was covered in tears, and he could only confirm that what we heard was true. That I have lost the love of my life. The next three days were stressful to say the least, I cried for hours, the doctors could do nothing to calm me, I was violent toward all of them, I think I even broke some guy's arm when he tried to restrain me. Luckily, the hospital didn't press charges against me, because they understood what I was going through. Only when Cat came to visit me and hugged me, we cried together and for the first time in days I didn't think about breaking anything.

I was discharged from the hospital just a few hours before the funeral. I barely had enough time to go home and dress myself in the darkest clothes I have. Black boots, black skirt, black shirt, black longcoat, black sunglasses on my eyes, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, everything black. I didn't bother putting any extensions in my hair, and even if I did, that would also be in black.

That day, the cemetery was full of people. All the students of Hollywood Arts were there, all the teachers, dozens of cops, your father's family, your mother's family, even some students of Sherwood High and Northridge High. And finally, after many years, my parents were where I needed them. Together. With me.

I didn't pay any attention to the priest and his speech. My mind could be focused on only one thing - your casket. As the casket was slowly lowered into the ground, tears flowed from my eyes like a river and I silently thanked God for my parents because if they weren't holding me, I would probably jump on the casket to let myself be buried with you. After the service, our friends tried to console me, but it was useless. Neither Cat, nor Beck, nor Andre, nor Robbie could do anything (thank God that Robbie left Rex at home that day or I would have probably break his neck). My heart was broken into a million pieces and there was nothing in the universe that could repair it.

That was almost exactly one year ago. The aniversary of the accident is tomorrow, on Monday, but I can't force myself to wait even one more day. And now here I am to do what I have to do. As I approach the right row of gravestones, I can finally see my destination. The four graves that I have to, that I need to visit every week. A few more steps and I'm standing before them, reading the names and the dates on the stones.

David Vega October 20, 1967 - June 10, 2012

Holly Vega January 14, 1970 - June 10, 2012

Katrina Vega May 2, 1993 - June 10, 2012

Victoria Vega June 8, 1994 - June 10, 2012

I can't help myself. I start crying. I do that every time I come here. The pain is too great. But this time, before I can turn into a sobbing mess, I stop myself. I need to be strong. For you, my love.

"Hello, Tori," I say. No one can hear me. The cemetery is empty. I like it that way.

People say that God gives and God takes. I don't understand what you did to deserve being taken from this world. You were the most kind and most wonderful person I ever knew. A friend to everyone.

I put one black rose (naturally black, I order them online from the village of Halfeti, Turkey) on your sister's grave, one on your mother's grave, and one on your father's grave. The rest of the roses in the basket goes on your grave, my love. I pray silently for a few minutes, make the sign of the cross, and then I speak.

"Why are you dead? Why are you dead, Tori? I can't live without you, you know that." There is no anwer to my question, only the wind blows through the branches of the trees nearby as tears flow from my eyes again.

"I love you so much, Tori. You can't even imagine how much. You changed me. You made me like things that I always considered disgusting. The birthday parties, ice cream, the pink color, Christmas. I didn't like girls who go to the beach with tiny bikinis, but I liked seeing you in a tiny bikini."

I feel a slight blush appearing on my cheeks. I sigh and continue.

"Just two nights before... before the accident... was your 18th... 18th birthday. You made me like happiness and I made you happy. In return you made me happy too. We had so much fun at Nozu and the Gorilla Club that night. And when the party was over, you insisted on spending the night at my house. Only an hour later it became clear to me why. That night, you gave me your virginity. 'Make me a woman, Jade', you said. So I complied. The next morning you told me that night was the most special night of your life. God, I was so happy when I heard that because it was also the most special night of my life."

I sniff and look around me, but there is no one here. I'm still alone.

"And the next day, you and Trina and your parents were going to visit some cousins. The cops told us the brakes in the car behind yours were worn and old, and the driver... the bastard was driving 80 mph, and he couldn't stop the car, and his car crashed right into your car... pushing it... right into the fence... which was broken... and over the cliff... into the sea."

I can't continue, I have to stop, I have to take a break because I can barely breathe at this point. I fall on my knees and try to calm myself. Inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale. Two minutes later I feel composed enough to continue.

"Your car was found smashed and burned on the rocks by the sea. The bodies of you... and your family... burned beyond recognition." My voice trembles as I say that.

"They had to identify each of you by your dental records. And you know what the best part was? The bastard who killed you got away. He told the judge that he bought the car three days earlier from some shady used car seller and the judge believed him. The cops never found the seller."

I have to make a small pause before I explode in fury.

"The bastard is free, Tori! Your killer is free and I can't do anything about it!" I yell. My hands grab the grass on Tori's grave.

"I can't even avenge you, Tori. Since that day, my life has been hell. Six months ago I started cutting my wrists with scissors from _The Scissoring_. Even that movie means nothing to me anymore. Without you, everything is grey, every day is dark. The nights have lost their mysteriousness, the stars have lost their glitter. Our friends tried to comfort me, even Sikowitz and Lane tried, even my parents tried, but it's not enough. It will never be enough."

Another deep sigh.

"I'm hollow, Tori. Without you I'm just an empty shell. There is no joy in my life anymore. I don't watch movies, I don't hang out with our friends, I don't listen any music. A month ago was the premiere of _The Scisssoring 2: The Next Chapter_ , here in LA. I didn't watch it, Tori. I couldn't watch it without you."

As I cry, I look at Tori's framed photo on the stone, her face smiling at me. The rain starts, the small drops of water slowly falling on my hair and face. I don't care.

"The only small joy I have is watching the video of your first performance at Hollywood Arts, when you replaced Trina in The Big Showcase. That song, _Make It Shine_ , and your voice, are probably the only things that kept me at least partially sane for the last few months. I watch that video at least twenty times a day. I even took the door of your locker from Hollywood Arts. Our principal, Hellen, couldn't decide what to do with the door so I spared her the trouble of figuring that out. The door is now hanging on the wall of my room."

Another sniff.

"And you know what's the most tragic thing, Tori? When you and your familly departed that day, I went to the jewelry shop. The morning after your birthday, when I woke up with you in my arms, I knew I wanted you to oficially be a part of my life. So I went to the jewelry shop and bought an engagement ring for you. A beautifull silver ring with a one carat diamond. For someone with no income, it would cost an arm, a leg, and the firstborn baby. But for me it was easy to buy it, because just three weeks earlier, and I haven't told anyone about that, I won 4,000,000 dollars in the lottery. I wanted to spoil you, my love, I wanted you to be my princess on the pea, I wanted us to spend the rest of our lives loving each other. I can buy everything, Tori, but I can't have the only thing in this goddamn world that I want. I can't have you, Tori. I'm tired of being alone. Without you, my life has no meaning. So I'm here to end it."

Slowly, I stand up and reach into the right pocket of my black coat. I pull out a Glock 17 pistol, the first firearm I saw being used by Agent Phil Coulson in _Iron Man._ I love that movie, but I haven't watched it for more than a year. This gun is the first thing I bought when I won the lottery. I may be obsessed with scissors but I also like some guns.

I press in on the magazine clip to release the magazine. The magazine is full, all 17 rounds are inside, but I'll really need only one round. I slide the magazine back into the grip and rack the slide to load the first round from the magazine into the chamber. As I cry, I put the muzzle of the gun on my right temple.

"Be happy, my love. I'll see you soon. In Heaven or Hell or Purgatory, I don't care where. I just want to be with you again."

I put the finger on the trigger.

 **I know I'm evil for ending this chapter here but what can I say. I love cliffhangers.**

 **Notes:**

 **The Princess on the Pea, also known as The Princess and the Pea, is a story by Hans Christian Andersen.**

 **It would be impossible for Jade to win the lottery in California and remain anonymous. California compels lottery winners to be publicly identified if they want to collect their cash. Only six federal states of the USA — Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina — allow winners to remain anonymous.**

 **It would be impossible for Jade to possess a handgun because California prohibits any person, corporation or firm from selling a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. I had to take a certain liberty with that fact or there would be no story.**

 **Phil Coulson is one of the central characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Played by Clark Gregg, Coulson first appeared in Iron Man in 2008.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The show "Victorious" and its characters are the property of Schnieder's Bakery and** **Nickelodeon.** **This story is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is wanted or expected for this story.**

As I cry, I put the muzzle of the gun on my right temple.

"Be happy, my love. I'll see you soon. In Heaven or Hell or Purgatory, I don't care where. I just want to be with you again."

I put the finger on the trigger.

"JADE, NOOOOOOOO!" Someone screams behind me. I freeze. It's not the words that stop me. It's the voice. The voice I could hear only on my laptop for the last 364 days.

I turn around and see the unmistakable shape of Tori Vega running between the graves toward me.

"Tori," I manage to whisper before everything becomes black.

...

I wake up in my bed in my room. How did I get here? I look at the clock and see 11:15, almost two hours have passed since I went to the cemetery. I check myself and see that someone has taken my boots off. The last thing I remember is...

"TORI!" I scream, jumping from the bed and running toward the living room. I enter the living room but there is no one there. My mom is at work and my dad visits us only on Fridays. I run into the kitchen, but it's empty. I check the guest room, my mom's room, the basement, the attic, the garage, but every damn room is empty.

"Fuck," I squeeze through my teeth as I slowly kneel on the floor of the living room. That must have been some sort of a hallucination, some twisted joke produced by a part of my demented mind. I cry again and don't even think about trying to stop myself. Where the fuck is my gun? I have to kill myself, I have to end this pain.

"Why, Tori? Why did you leave me alone?" I sob.

"Jade!"

What? Who's that? Still kneeling on the floor, I turn around and can't believe my own eyes. My lost love is standing at the door of my bathroom.

I open my mouth and try to say something but words simply can't go out. Like I'm under some spell. Tori runs to me, kneels before me and hugs me tightly. I hug her and finally speak in a sobbing voice.

"Tori, if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up, ever. And if you are real, please tell me. I have to know, Tori. Please."

"Jade, I'm real."

Not even half a second after hearing those words I smash my lips against hers, passionately kising her like there is no tomorrow. I close my eyes and enjoy the smell of Tori's hair, the taste of Tori's lips, the warmth of her body, the, the, the, the everything of Tori. My Tori is here. With me. A minute later, with mutual breathing problems, we part our lips, only to kiss again, hungrily, desperately. And when I really think we could both die from the lack of air, I stop the kiss and look her in the eyes.

"How... I don't... How can..." Argh, I can't form a single coherent sentence.

"Jade, I never died. My family never died in that car accident. We're all alive."

"WHAT?"

"Yes, Jade, we are all alive. And we are coming back here to LA." She squeezes me and leans her head on my left shoulder.

"But how...where...why...who..."

"Who were the bodies in our car? Those were the corpses that the police took from the graveyard and put in our places. They had to make the show so everyone would believe we were dead."

"But why, Tori? Why?"

"Jade, my family and I were part of the witness protection program. My dad had to testify against some powerful crime lord. But to stay alive until the trial, my father, my mother, my sister, and I, had to look dead. The risk of his gang killing all of us was simply too big and the police said they couldn't take any chances."

Still sobbing and crying the tears of joy, I pull back slightly and look her in the eyes. "You know what, Tori? Right now I don't care about those details. We can talk about them later. Right now I just want to hold you in my hands."

"Ok."

We relocate on the couch and just sit, hugged, feeling the beats of our hearts, with only the sound of our breathing filling the room. I can't believe this is happening. I'm holding Tori again. She's alive. Is it possible to die from happiness? I think I might. Approximately ten minutes later, Tori moves away a few centimeters and looks me in the eyes.

"Feeling better?" She asks.

"Yes." I reply, with a big smile on my face.

"Good."

And then I feel on my left cheek the hardest slap in my life. It hurts so much I'm sure I'm going to have a bruise for quite some time.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Jadelyn West, are you out of your fucking mind? Would you please explain why I found you ready to put a bullet in your head?"

I'm so ashamed that I can't look her in the eyes anymore. I try to look down but she grabs my face.

"I want the answer, Jade! RIGHT NOW!"

To say that she has the look of an angry lioness would be an understatement. Everyone thinks Tori Vega is just a sweet girl who would never physically hurt anyone. So, when she pulls out the claws you are so intimidated that you can't do anything but obey.

"I couldn't live without you, Tori. I'm sorry but I simply couldn't. You mean so much to me. The pain of not having you in my life was unbearable. I'm not as strong as you, Tori. At Hollywood Arts everybody sees me as a tough Goth chick who simply bulls her way through life, charging at the world with such headlong aggression that it gives way before me. But that's just a mask, Tori. It's the role I play every day, because I knew it would make my life in this shitty world easier. Only when I was with you I could relax and be my true self."

"And who is your true self, Jade?" Tori asks with concern in her voice.

"A gentle girl who needs someone to love her, to be with her every day, to send her fluffy text messages, to make her feel special, to make her happy. With Beck I had kissing and sex, but there was no emotions behind that. I tried to compensate for that with my jealousy, to activate something inside me, but that jealousy was fake. That's why we broke up. Beck tried to bring my emotions to the surface but it wasn't enough. But you, you woke me up, Tori. I like singing, I like dancing, I like acting, but I always felt that something was missing in my life. You filled that emptiness, you made me feel like a whole person. And when I lost you... When I lost you, I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die."

And then I cry again, covering my eyes with my hands. I can feel Tori leaning toward me and hugging me again.

"Jade, life is tough. It was hard for me to be separated from you too. I can't even imagine how you felt. At least I had the comfort to know you were alive. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. But it's over now. We're together again!"

We're together again. Tori's words repeat themselves in my head. We're together again.

"But Jade, life is too precious to be thrown away like that. You survived one entire year without me. You have to live, even when everything around you is dark, you can't give up. Do you understand me?"

I nod.

"Jade, I'm serious. If, God forbid, fate separates us permanently, for real this time, I want you to continue living."

"No, Tori, I can't live without you."

"Yes, you can, Jade. No matter what you think, you are strong. You are brave. Sometimes it's easier to die than to continue your life. There are hundreds, no, thousands of people who have lost their loved ones but they didn't turn to despair. I know that losing the person you love is hard, but life goes on, no matter how used up that sounds. So, Jade, I want you to promise me that you'll never again try to take your life, no matter what happens to me."

I sob. "I don't think I can..."

"PROMISE ME, JADE!"

"Okay. I... I promise."

"Swear to me!"

"I swear on my favorite horror movies that I will never again try to kill myself." I can't say no to Tori, not when she's back with me.

"That's better. Now please stop crying. I want my Jade, not this fountain of tears."

"All right." I use the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I lick my lips, the salty taste of the tears staying briefly on my tongue. I feel slightly more composed.

"Now I'm ready for your story, Tori."

Tori looks at me, sighs, and begins the tale.

"One day, when he was on duty, my dad saw an entire gang killing some small time drug dealer. The leader of the gang was some powerful crime lord, Cal Apone. The gang members saw my dad and opened fire on him. He managed to escape, but there was still a chance they could recognize him. When my dad arrived back at the police station, he reported a murder. However, men like Apone could always pull out witnesses to testify falsely that he was somewhere else at the time of the murder. Then a pair of FBI agents appeared at dad's station, Wolf Mulder and Mona Scully. As it turned out, the FBI had a really big file on Apone. They were patiently collecting all possible evidences against him and they just needed a little more time to press charges against him. But to accomplish that, they needed to ensure that my father stays alive until the trial. Since they didn't want to risk their only witness getting killed by Apone's men, they put us into the protection program. My dad didn't tell Trina and me anything. Only my mom knew about the plan the FBI agents devised. They intercepted us not long after we left the house, my parents told Trina and me to not ask any questions and just do what they say. We changed the car, the two feds drove us to our destination, and it wasn't until we arrived that Trina and I finally understood what really happened.

"So, where were you, Tori?"

"In some small town called Gantts Quarry in Talladega County in Alabama. A place with only one store, one church, and the post office. Maximally 40 inhabitants and no electricity in most of the houses. It's one of those places where almost every family holds a framed photo of General Lee in the living room. If not that then the Confederate flag. Sometimes even both."

I interrupt her story. "Did you have any problems with them?" I ask worriedly. You never know with all those hillbillies and rednecks.

"No, not at all. In fact, they are very nice people. The local priest, Reverend Smith, is an African-American, and the store owner, Mister Hwang, and his wife, are refugees from North Korea. The townspeople are just so proud of their Southern heritage they have to show that every day. Their town is a place with only one possible answer for all the problems. 'Don't worry, ma'am. The South shall rise again!'"

Tori says the last sentence in a fake Southern accent, the same one I used to mock her a long time ago. I can't help but laugh at that.

"You're joking, right?" The look in Tori's eyes tells me I'm wrong. "So you had to become Daisy Duke?"

"If only I could. But there was no tavern in the town."

"But you did wear the dukes?"

"Yeah. Almost every day. I actually looked quite hot."

"You always look hot, Tori. Don't let anyone tell you you don't. So, you became Sweet Sally Peaches?"

"Actually I looked more like Betty Sue Goldenheart."

I smile at that statement, remembering my costume from the method acting sleepover at Sikowitz's house.

"But, my family and I had to change names, and by some coincidence, I became Sally Jackson."

"You had to change your names?"

"Yes, that's the standard procedure. I became Sally, Trina became Veronica, my mom became Elizabeth, and my dad became Samuel."

"How did you live, I mean with what money?"

"We received financial assistance for housing and subsistence for basic living expenses and medical care. The house we lived in was big but old. We had no television, no internet, no phones. We had only some old radio that could catch only Country radio stations."

"So how was your life there?"

"For the first few months, it was super boring. With no phones, we couldn't contact anyone, even our closest cousins couldn't know we were alive. Trina always complained about the lack of boys in the town. The average age of the residents of Gantts Quarry is sixty. But you know what the hardest part was, at least for me?"

"I can imagine, but tell me." I say, already knowing the answer.

"To be without you, Jade. If I had you by my side, I would gladly live in Tarzan's treehouse or a cave. But I couldn't. I couldn't send you a letter because the two feds, Robert Scott and James Grant, were always with us, playing my uncles. If mom, Trina, or me, wanted to go out we had to be accompanied by one of them or my dad."

I feel the pain in my chest. I have suffered without Tori, but her pain was maybe even greater than mine.

"Tori, how did you entertain yourself, if you had any entertainment there?"

"I played poker and blackjack a lot and became quite skilled. I even won some money on the weekly tournaments. I also played chess, enjoying my every victory over Robert, the older fed. But the first few months without you were hardest. One time, I was out on a walk with Robert, but I escaped from him and he lost me in the woods."

I can't help but feel a small dose of pride. My Tori managed to escape from a fed. You can't see that every day. Who would have thought she was such a wildcard. I feel my love for her becoming bigger every second.

"Then I visited one of the neighbors and bought a bottle of moonshine from him. I thought the alcohol would make the pain of separation go away. I was wrong. I drank only a few small glasses and then I fell asleep. I woke up with a terrible headache and barely made it home. I spent the next three days in bed, sick as a dog, but I survived. But once I was back on my feet, my mom slapped me for the first time in my life. After that incident, the only one who tried to comfort me was Trina. Seven days later, my mom apologized to me, and said that I could see you immediately after the trial. I apologized to my parents and the feds too, for the trouble I caused."

"What did you do then, I mean for the rest of the year?"

"I had to find something to do, to keep my mind occupied. I finally accepted Robert's company, and we started exploring the countryside. There are lots of forests in Talladega County, and even some small rivers. I loved all that nature. It was almost like being a girl scout from dawn till dusk, without selling the cookies, of course. Jade, I want to take you there. I want you to see all those beautiful places."

"No problem. But please, continue the story."

"Okay. The crime lord, Cal Apone, was arrested two months ago. My dad had to testify four days ago. With all the evidences and dad's testimony, Apone could do nothing to save himself. The same day when dad returned to Gantts Quarry , I jumped on the first bus to some bigger town with a railroad. I barely said goodbye to my family because I couldn't wait to see you. I had the money won on the poker tournaments. I got on the train, traveled two days, and arrived in LA this morning. I managed to find the taxi that drove me to your house but when I knocked on the door no one answered. Then I remembered what day it is and that Robert told me that one of his colleagues informed him about you visiting Cavalry Cemetery every Sunday. The taxi then drove me to the cemetery where I started searching for you, and then... and then I found you... with the gun...

She trembles and I hug her, letting her lean her head on my chest. I rub my hand up and down her back, soothing her.

"Jade, if I found you just two seconds later, you would have been dead now." She openly cries as she says that.

"I know. I was so stupid, I will never try to do that again. Please forgive me." I say as I also cry again.

"I forgive you. But never scare me like that again. Don't you ever do that again. Jade, you are the love of my life. I can't live without you. Not now when we are together again."

"And neither can I without you, Tori."

Silence falls around us as we relax, just enjoying the fact that the nightmare is over. I am not alone anymore. She is not alone anymore. We have each other again. Ten minutes later, I shake her slightly, and she looks at me, a curious expression in her eyes.

"Tori, I know that maybe this isn't the right question to ask in a situation like this, but I want to make up for lost time. Do you?"

A seductive smile appears on Tori's face. "Yes."

 **...**

Two hours later, we're lying on my bed, naked, sweaty, exhausted, and deliriously happy. Holding each other, with our legs intertwined, we were having a gentle making out session. Though I didn't want to, I had to break the kiss. I put the palm of my right hand on Tori's left cheek.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are?"

"At least three times in the last hour."

"I think I have to say that again."

Tori chuckles.

"Jade."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"Don't be. I deserved it."

Tori then looks around my room and notices something.

"Is that my locker door on your wall?"

"Yes. I took it from our school and kept it here. I wanted to have here everything that would remind me of you. You want to light it up?"

"Yes."

Tori quickly jumps out of the bed, presses a button and the old locker door lights up. The words 'Make It Shine' now look to me better than lights on a Christmas tree. Tori returns to the bed and lies beside me, putting her left hand across my stomach. Then I remember something, and make a quick decision.

"Tori, I want to ask you something."

"Ask me then. I'm not going anywhere. In fact I think I might stay in this bed until tomorrow."

As I smile, I open the drawer of my bedside table and reach inside. I pull out a small square box, painted blue.

"Tori, I have bought the content of this box exactly one year ago. I wanted to ask you something then, but the cruel fate has separated us. Now we're together again, and though I should first ask your father for permission, I don't want to wait even one more second."

Tori looks at me surprised, and I open the box. The ring and the diamond shine under the light of Tori's locker door.

"Victoria Vega, will you marry me?"

The shocked look on Tori's face lasts only for a second. Then she jumps on me, throws her hands around my neck and plants on my lips a long, wet and sensual kiss that gives me a better answer than words ever could.

 **...**

Six months later...

Tori's pov

The wedding was beautiful. All the residents of Gantts Quarry were present. Not only because "their little Sally" was getting married, but because it was also the first wedding in their town after almost forty years. But at first, most of them mistook Jade for a guy. They also didn't hear her name correctly. 'Sally's fiance is Jaden, a beautiful young man with an angelic face,' they said. The fact that Jade chose to wear the tuxedo also didn't help the situation. Only when Reverend Smith said 'Jadelyn West, do you take Victoria Vega to be your lawfully wedded wife' did they realize "the guy" was actually a girl. If they still had some doubts the situation was made crystal clear for them when Reverend Smith asked 'Victoria Vega, do you take Jadelyn West to be your lawfully wedded wife'. I'm sure there was a lot of confused looks but no one said anything. As I said before, maybe they are slightly strange, but they are good people.

I suspect Jade chose the tuxedo as a small measure of revenge for me being the husband when we played Walter and Nancy in Sikowitz's crazy play, the play that marked the beginning of our relationship. I smile fondly as I remember our first kiss after we escaped from Chad and Alan after the play.

Of course, Jade being Jade, chose the dark purple tuxedo similar to Jack Nicholson's costume from Tim Burton's _Batman_. And with her black hair tied in a ponytail, she was almost the spitting image of the Joker from _Batman: The Animated Series_. The only things she lacked to complete the transformation were the white makeup and Mark Hamill's voice. I, on the other hand, surprised Jade by wearing a dress identical to the one worn by Tawny Walker-Black in _The Scissoring_. The same one that Jade wore when she, Cat, and I chased Moose. Unlike her dress, my dress didn't have the fake blood stains. I draw the line at that.

BTW, two days ago we had a call from Agents Mulder and Scully. They told us that Apone was convicted on all charges and is now serving a life sentence in Souza-Baranowski. His gang is broken up in many rival groups, because Apone's every lieutenant wants to become the next big boss. Many of them were killed in constant fighting. We don't have to be afraid of them anymore.

When I said that I want the wedding to be in Gantts Quarry, Jade agreed immediately. My parents protested slightly but eventually surrendered. All of our friends were on the wedding. Cat, Robbie, Beck, Andre, mom's family, dad's family, literally almost everyone who believed we were dead. And after Jade and I said our I do's, guess who caught the wedding bouquet? Cat! She almost fainted from happiness. And then Robbie finally got the courage to ask her THE QUESTION, right in front of all those people. What? You think he proposed her? Noooooo, he sooooo doesn't have the courage to do that. At least not yet. He just asked her to be his girlfriend, and she said yes. I'm soooo happy for them. But now you have to excuse me, it's the morning after wedding, I'm alone in bed, and I have to find a certain Mrs. Vega-West. Not me, the other Mrs. Vega-West. Though I'm not sure I'll have enough energy for a long search. I'm exhausted from some nightly activities, if you know what I mean. So she better be somewhere close.

Jade's pov

I'm standing on the porch, enjoying the warmth of the rising sun. Tori was right. This really is a beautiful place. Suddenly I hear light footsteps behind me but I don't turn around. Soon a pair of warm hands circles my waist.

"Can you guess who I am?" I hear a soft voice in my left ear.

"Let me see. Are you Charlie Chaplin?"

"Strike one."

"Groucho Marx, perhaps?"

"Two."

"Are you by any chance the extremely annoying half-Latina whom I fell in love with? You know, the girl who became my wife yesterday?"

"Bingo."

I turn around and see a smiling Tori with a bad case of bed hair, but in my eyes, she is the most beautiful woman in the world. We give each other a good morning kiss. Before it can escalate into something more heated, we break the kiss.

"Good morning Victoria Vega-West."

"Good morning Jadelyn Vega-West."

"Shall we move to the kitchen, make some breakfast?"

"Sounds good."

We relocate to the kitchen and make the breakfast. Nothing complicated, just eggs, beacon, and the glass of milk.

"Tori, I have to admit something."

"What?"

"Our marriage, it's not always going to be easy. With our different personalities, and all that, you know."

"Jade, before we were separated, we've been together for eight months. We survived without killing each other. It's been six months since I "came back from the dead". I know we can spend the rest of our lives together. And if we encounter some problems, we'll solve them together."

I see she has a mischievous look in her eyes, and then she speaks with a fake Southern accent.

"Don't worry, ma'am. The South shall rise again."

I laugh. "Come here, you little weirdo."

Tori sits on my lap and puts her hands around my neck, kissing me so gently that I instantly forget all the problems we could face in the future. I put my hands around her waist and enjoy the kiss. Should I tell her that I'm rich? No, let's leave that surprise for another day. Maybe tomorrow, when we start our honeymoon, and I tell her that the first stop is Disneyland. And the next stop is New Orleans, and the next one is Miami, and the next... We'll figure that out. But for now, I'm content with just being here, with Tori in my arms. With Tori, this beautiful girl with the heart of gold. With Tori, my love. With Tori, my sun. With Tori, my everything.

 **That's all folks!** **I hope you didn't really think I would make a Jori story with sad ending :) Thanks for the reviews. As far as I'm concerned, this story is over. If someone wishes to write a sequel and publish it here, please ask me for permission. Also, now that I have finished this story, I'll have more time to work on other projects and you can expect the next story in five or six days.**

 **Notes:**

 **Cal Apone is an anagram of Al Capone, one of the most notorious American gangsters.**

 **Wolf Mulder and Mona Scully are named after Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the main characters of X-Files. I love that show.**

 **Gantts Quarry** **is a ghost town in Talladega County, Alabama. By 2000, it had no residents anymore. I must admit that I have no idea what the town really looks like. I just needed some small deserted place in the American South and this one seemed suitable enough for the story.**

 **Daisy Mae Duke is one the main protagonists of the American television series _The Dukes of Hazzard_. She is famous for her tight denim shorts, which are colloquially known as "Daisy Dukes".**

 **Souza-Baranowsk** **i Correctional Center is a maximum security prison in Lancaster, Massachusetts.**


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